The Love Potion Mystery
by Alshoruzen
Summary: Shinichi has been assigned to investigate a restaurant called The Love Potion that helps couples get together. It started when a woman came to the police with a strange story. KaiShin
1. The Case

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Rating: M

Genre: Romance/Mystery (not too sure about genres for this)

Warnings: Adult themes and graphic content in later chapters

Summary: Shinichi has been assigned to investigate a restaurant called The Love Potion that helps couples get together. It started when a woman came to the police with a strange story.

* * *

**The Love Potion Mystery**

**Chapter 1 - The Case**

She came dressed in a conservative black dress that did not at all detract from her stunning beauty. Everyone in the police station couldn't help but stop and gape. It wasn't just that she had beautiful features and a nice figure. It was the stately way she carried herself and the grace of her movements.

Her name was Akiyama Koyuki, and she had called before her visit to say that she needed help.

Having just closed his last case, Shinichi had been told that—if this turned out to be a case—he would be in charge of it. Not knowing what kind of issue she might have and feeling that the woman would probably be more comfortable speaking to another woman though, he had asked Satou-keiji to speak to her while he, Takagi, and Kaito listened from the other room.

"Why are you here?" he asked Kaito as the two women took their seats in the other room.

The magician shrugged, folding his arms behind his head. "I'm free all day today, so I thought I'd lend you a hand. I could've sworn I told you that last night."

"Oh." Kaito hadn't gotten home until after Shinichi had fallen asleep the previous night, but he supposed there was no point in pointing this out. He was sure Kaito knew. He was equally sure that the magician had told him while he slept anyway and decided that that was enough. Kaito could be very helpful on cases when he wanted to be anyway, so it wasn't a problem. Shinichi just hoped there would be enough happening to keep Kaito from getting bored.

All attention returned to the other room as Koyuki had started to tell her story.

"I'm not sure where to start exactly," she was saying to Satou-keiji. "But I guess the first thing you need to know is that I live alone. I was married, but my husband was taken by illness two and a half years ago. We never had children. I haven't…" She paused, face flushing as she picked at her sleeves. "I haven't been _with_ anyone since my husband passed away." A look of deep sadness passed over her face before she shook herself and continued, not meeting Satou's eyes. "I have considered looking for someone else to share my life with, but I still…I just can't. Not yet. But my boss retired some four months ago. The man who has taken his place sort of…took a liking to me, I suppose. He approached me many times, and he had a tendency to act much too familiar. I told him I wasn't looking to start seeing anyone right now, but he always brushed it off—like he didn't believe I could be serious. I had the feeling that he thought I couldn't possibly not fall for him eventually." The woman's lips pursed in disapproval. "He is a handsome man, and one of those who knows it, if you know what I mean. And then last week he asked if I would have dinner with him. It wasn't the first time he'd asked, but it was the first time he was really polite about it."

"I was going to say no, but I felt it might be a good time to straighten out matters between us without making a public scene of it at work, especially since he seemed more willing to listen than he usually was. So I agreed, though I was sure to let him know that I had no intentions of dating him. It was to be a meeting to talk things out and settle our tensions. He agreed. Now that I think back, I suppose he did so quite quickly—perhaps too much so. At the time, however, I was just glad he finally seemed to be behaving more reasonably."

"I had my doubts when we arrived at the restaurant he'd chosen though. It was called the Love Potion. Clearly it was meant for couples. The place only took reservations though, so I didn't feel right just walking out." Her face twisted in recollection. "I wish I had. You see, that's the last thing I remember. I have no memories at all of what happened during or after the meal. All I know is that I woke up the following morning in one of the rooms in the upstairs of the establishment where they allow guests to stay if they have drunk too much to get home or something of the sort. I hadn't had any alcohol though—or at least I don't think I did. I guess I can't be certain since I can't remember, but I've never been very fond of those kinds of drinks. I asked one of the attendants what had happened, but she told me she was only starting her shift and so had no idea. I…had the feeling that she was lying, but I don't know why I felt that way. She seemed very kind. I didn't want to make a scene though, so I went home." She stopped abruptly.

Satou waited for almost a full minute before prompting her. "So what happened then?"

"I found…I found…" Her pale cheeks flushed with color.

The dark-haired policewoman waited patiently. Finally, the lady leaned forward and mumbled something with her lips barely moving. The three occupants of the other room couldn't hear her words, but they could see Satou's eyes widen then narrow and harden into chips of stone. It was a look that generally meant that heads would soon be rolling.

"Did you bring it with you?" she asked.

A slow nod. "I—I did."

"Good." Satou paused, lips pursed. "And you're sure you can remember nothing from that night?"

"Nothing. And…to be honest…" Her voice grew small again. "I'm not sure if I want to."

Satou's expression softened. "I understand. I promise that we will get to the bottom of this."

"Thank you."

Before she left, Koyuki handed a small, wrapped package to Satou. Once she had gone, the policewoman joined her colleagues in the observation room. The grim expression on her face set Shinichi on high alert. Whatever the lady had whispered to Satou, it had greatly angered her.

"What did she give you?" Takagi asked, handing his partner a cup of water.

Satou flashed him a grateful smile but it fell quickly from her face. "The evidence."

"Evidence?" Shinichi repeated.

"Yesterday morning when she returned to her home from the restaurant, she discovered traces of what appeared to be semen in her underwear. I'm sure I don't have to spell it out for you."

There was a moment of horrified silence before Takagi stammered, "Is she sure?"

"That's what we're finding out. I'm sending this to the lab. If she's right then this should also be all the evidence we need to arrest her boss for rape."

"But what about that restaurant?" Shinichi asked, eyes narrowing. "If that's where it happened…"

"It seems unlikely that they were unaware," Satou finished for him. "The events she described do make them seem pretty suspicious too. Kudo-kun, do you think you could look into them? Takagi and I can handle Miss Akiyama's side of this."

-0-

"So what are you thinking?" Kaito asked as he opened the car door for Shinichi before moving to the other side to get in himself. Shinichi had already pulled out a notebook as the magician started the car.

"I'm not sure what to think yet," the detective replied, frowning. "First we need to look this place up. Then I'd like to talk to some other people who've visited it."

"Well, it sounds like they probably have a website. We can start there."

"Yeah." Shinichi paused then blinked, glancing up at Kaito. "We?"

"Yes, we. I have time, and besides, you'll need me. If you're going to investigate a restaurant for couples, you're going to need a partner."

"Oh." Shinichi blushed. "Fine."

-0-

The website wasn't as easy to find as they'd thought it would be, but an hour of digging eventually dragged it up out of the tangled depths of the internet.

It was an elegant website with beautiful images and very little in the way of definitive information. They were, however, able to learn that the place only took reservations for couples. In addition, it appeared that there were different types of reservations for couples with different relationship issues ranging from lack of communication to infidelity. The restaurant staff helped couples figure out which package was for them when they called in to make reservations.

"Man, just look at some of these names!" Kaito laughed, scrolling down the list of 'packages'. "Rekindling Passion? The Heart to Heart? Fleeting Fires? I think they went a little overboard on these."

"They are a bit…dramatic," Shinichi agreed. "Any idea what they might mean?"

"I could take some wild stabs at it, but these are the kinds of names you slap on things to make them look impressive without saying anything at all."

"I guess we really will have to go see it for ourselves," the detective sighed, worrying at his lower lip as he thought. "I would like to talk to some other people who've been there first though."

-0-

Their first interview was with a woman who had written the restaurant a glowing review. They had sent her an email asking if she'd be willing to talk to them about her experience with the place, and she'd agreed immediately.

"My husband and I ate there last month on our anniversary," she gushed over cups of coffee, eyes bright. "It was a wonderful restaurant. Very romantic."

"Can you tell me how you found your way to it?" Shinichi asked. "It's not exactly close to your residence."

"I found it online, actually. My husband and I had been having a bit of… Well, let's just say we'd been having difficulties. We just didn't seem to talk anymore. We spent so much time apart at work, and it was starting to seem like we didn't have anything in common anymore. It was after an argument we had. I…had thought he might be cheating on me. We both said some pretty nasty things. Afterward, I went online to look for advice. That was when I found out about this restaurant that helped couples like us reconnect. So I called to make a reservation. They asked me a lot of questions and then set us up for a nice dinner for two."

"Did anything strange happen while you were there?"

"Strange?" She blinked at him in bafflement. "No, I wouldn't say so. It was quite wonderful. The food was amazing and the ambience was truly inspiring. It was like all our troubles just fell away and so we were free to really get to know each other again." She winked and giggled. "It was like being on our honeymoon again. We took the following week off for a trip to the hot springs and really talked things through, and now everything's back to the way it used to be. We owe it all to the Love Potion."

-0-

"That was…not what I expected," Shinichi said after they'd left.

"And I'm sure she meant every word," said Kaito. "Now I really want a look inside this place."

"Let's talk to some more people before we do that."

-0-

"Oh, the Love Potion. I remember that place." The young man they had located through a blog post beamed. "I proposed to my wife there. They were great. Helped me set everything up just the way I wanted. They really were encouraging too."

"Is that so?" Kaito leaned forward slightly, the picture of an eager listener. "They must really be something special if you chose them to help you with something that important."

"It's an interesting story, that. You see, I was actually a bit afraid of the whole thing. You know, the whole not knowing if it'll work out, wondering if I should wait, and all that other stuff everyone worries about at times like that. That was when one of my friends told me they'd heard of this restaurant that specialized in creating just the right atmosphere for romance. I felt it was worth a try, so I went to talk to them, and they promised that they'd make everything work out. And they did. It was pretty incredible actually. Something about the atmosphere that night… I wasn't nervous at all, and it all just sort of—unfolded. Right into place."

-0-

They got more of the same from the next several people they interviewed. Shinichi was just starting to wonder if they were barking up the wrong tree when they found their tenth interviewee.

"The where?"

"The Love Potion," Shinichi said again.

The man across from him frowned. "And you're saying this is a restaurant?"

"Yes. One of your coworkers mentioned that you'd been to it before."

"Really? When? I would've thought I'd remember a place with such a peculiar name."

"I…think it was supposed to have been eight or nine months ago."

"Eight or nine months, huh? Let me see… Oh, wait I did go to this one place with a woman who used to work in my department. I guess that could have been the place."

Kaito traded glances with Shinichi before asking, "Were you dating then?"

The man stared at him then burst out laughing. "Oh, no, of course not. She was actually a friend of my girlfriend's. They had a falling out a few years ago though. But she wanted to set things right, and so we met up to talk about what she could do." He paused then laughed sheepishly. "Problem was, I had a bit too much to drink. Can't remember a thing about what we actually discussed or even what I ate. We ended up having to meet again just so she could tell me what we'd decided. But this time we did it over coffee and sandwiches. Everything worked out though, so I guess it was worth the embarrassment."

"Can we speak to her?"

"Afraid not. She moved away a few months ago. I'm not sure where to. I think she might've gone out of the country."

-0-

"So what do you think?"

Shinichi let his breath out in a puff. "I don't know what to think. They sound… I don't know. There's definitely something strange going on, but I just can't see what the point is."

"You mean how almost everyone seems happy with whatever it is while the rest just don't remember anything?"

"That's part of it." He bit his lip, running back over the interviews in his mind.

"I'm guessing it has to do with which package they got," Kaito said. "If they require you to detail your situation for them before you make a reservation so they can help you pick the service best suited for you then they could easily have helped Miss Koyuki's boss drug her."

"But why would they do that? What could they possibly gain from it? It's not like they don't have plenty of happy customers from what we've heard. They don't need to risk their business by committing crimes on the side."

"Then maybe it's not only those customers they're doing something illegal to," the thief suggested. "A lot of the people we spoke to mentioned how they felt differently while they were at the restaurant. Or maybe it's for some more personal reason. I can imagine some crazy thinking they're giving people chances at happiness or something of the sort. Just look at the name they chose."

Shinichi nodded slowly. "I guess that's true."

"I presume our next step is to actually visit this place?"

"Yeah."

"You realize that means subjecting ourselves to whatever it is they're doing."

Shinichi hesitated. He'd been thinking so much about collecting possible evidence that he'd overlooked that part. "Um…" He turned hopeful eyes on his partner. "Do you have a better idea?"

Kaito shrugged. "Actually I think this idea's fine. None of the proper couples had any trouble remembering anything. We go in as a troubled couple, gather all the evidence you want, and have ourselves a nice night out while we're at it."

"…" Shinichi still didn't really like the idea, but it was the easiest way to investigate the place's operations. He just hoped he didn't regret it later.

-0-

"Why do I have to make the reservation?" Shinichi complained, glaring at the phone in his hands.

"Because it's your case."

"But what if they ask me something weird and I don't know what to say?"

"That'll make it more realistic."

Shinichi huffed. "You just think this is going to be funny!"

The jerk had the audacity to laugh. "Well, I can't deny that. But really Shin-chan, I'll be here if you need me. Just put it on speaker, and if you really can't handle it then I'll help."

"How generous of you," the detective said sarcastically. "I can't believe I agreed to letting you tag along for this."

"Oh? So you want to go with someone else?" Kaito's tone was light but his eyes flashed dangerously.

"No, that's not what I meant," the detective said hastily. The last thing he needed right now was a jealous Kaito. "I'm going to do the call now before I have too much time to think about it."

He glanced at the number he'd scribbled on the notepad beside the phone in his library. He tapped the number in and put the phone on speaker as it rang. Three rings later, a woman picked up the phone.

"Hello? You've reached The Love Potion."

"Hi," Shinichi replied. "I, um, heard you help couples who are having trouble…"

"We certainly try our best," the woman replied, voice warm. "So are you married?"

"Er, no. I have a boyfriend who lives with me."

Aforementioned boyfriend moved to sit on one of the library couches as he listened in on the call.

"And how long have you been together?"

"About six, almost seven years now."

She hummed thoughtfully. "Okay. So what seems to be the trouble?"

Shinichi hesitated, thinking hard. "Well, he…flirts a lot with other people." Which was true.

"Oh? And does he do this even when he knows you're watching?"

"…Yes."

"And how does that make you feel?"

What was this, a psychiatrist session? "It…bothers me…?" Although he tried not to let it. He knew Kaito never meant anything when he did it.

"Does it make you feel insecure?"

"…A little bit." This was getting awkward. He shot a sidelong look at the thief but turned away hurriedly when he caught Kaito's intent stare. Why had he agreed to let Kaito listen in? This was so embarrassing…

"Have you talked to him about how you feel?"

"I'm not very…I'm not good at talking about—about that sort of thing." That at least was completely true. Actually, most of this was true. That fact was not making him feel any less awkward.

The lady on the other end of the line made a sympathetic noise. "And what about him? Does he tell you how he feels?"

"He does. He's kind of a showy person," he added by way of explanation. "He likes to be dramatic."

"Does that mean you're not sure if he's sincere?"

Shinichi blinked. "Um…no—yes—no, I mean, it's not…uh…"

"That's alright," the woman said soothingly before he could babble any further. "Let's see. Do you know how much time you spend together on a daily basis?"

"It changes a lot." Both he and Kaito had volatile schedules that changed at the drop of a hat.

"What about dates? Do you go out together often? It doesn't count if work is involved."

"We…do when we can, but we're both very busy."

"Have you been out together recently?"

"I…I'm not really sure."

"I see, I see. But you share the same bed?"

Shinichi flushed and spluttered. Why the hell did she want to know _that_?! "Y—yes."

"And how would you describe your sex life?"

Shinichi opened his mouth then closed it again, face a bright red to rival any apple. On the other side of the library, Kaito had fallen out of his chair and was rolling around on the ground in fits of silent laughter. Shinichi gave him the evil eye. Not that it helped.

"Well?" the woman prompted again. "No need to be shy. I won't tell anyone."

Shinichi coughed to buy himself some time. If he really had to describe that part of his and Kaito's life together, he would have to say that it was…unpredictable. Just yesterday, the magician had ambushed him while he'd been organizing the library. They'd migrated from there to the bedroom then the bathroom and back to the bedroom again. Shinichi was still pleasantly sore from their activities. His cheeks turned pink just thinking about it. Of course that wasn't exactly normal, since Kaito knew he'd be kicked out onto the couch if he tried that sort of thing when Shinichi's case load was too heavy (which was unfortunately quite often), but that just meant that the thief made sure they took advantage of the opportunities.

But even if he wanted to tell the woman this—which he didn't, he didn't think it was what someone asking for their services should be saying. Well, unless that was precisely their problem, having too much of one thing and not enough of the rest, but that…wasn't the kind of façade he wanted to create either. He settled for a mumbled, "It's okay."

And the questions continued.

By the time the call was over and he had secured a reservation, Shinichi felt like he'd just been put through a ringer. Wandering to the nearest armchair, he collapsed into it with a groan. He could hear Kaito still laughing—though by now the stupid magician had laughed so hard that he was out of breath.

"I thought you said you were going to help me if it got uncomfortable," Shinichi grumbled, shooting his partner another glare.

Kaito had to struggle for several seconds before he managed to get his laughter under control enough to speak. "Oh, but I thought you did wonderfully. It was very authentic."

Shinichi threw a couch cushion at the thief's head. "Go get me some coffee. It's the least you can do after making me go through that."

**-TBC-**

* * *

Notes: This is kind of a weird idea that popped into my head one day. It'll probably be a three-parter, and could conceivably be set in the distant future of the Lure universe.


	2. The Investigation and the Detour

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

* * *

**The Love Potion Mystery**

**Chapter 2 - The Investigation and the Detour**

From the outside, the Love Potion looked more like an extremely expensive hotel than a restaurant. It stood five stories tall, though the building itself was a little on the narrow side. The front doors were set with panels of sparkling stained glass. The name of the place was painted in gold on a plaque over the door complete with intricate scrollwork and a stylized rose.

Kaito opened the door and swept his gaze over the lobby beyond before stepping aside to allow Shinichi through. Something about the place felt…strange to him, but he couldn't see any immediate danger (if he had, he wouldn't have let Shinichi across the threshold). The floors of the lobby were covered in a thick, plush carpet all deep crimson with a decorative pattern along the edges. The walls too were dark. Paneled with wood and hung with old-fashioned tapestries depicting mesmerizing patterns that caught the eye and made the head spin. Kaito's keen eyes picked out the glimmer of gold threads woven into the patterns. Their subtle shimmer certainly added a sense of mystique to the atmosphere. It helped too that the room was lit by a real chandelier with candles rather than light bulbs. There were no other guests in sight. In fact, there was no other person in sight.

An ornate desk stood across from the door with a bell on the corner.

"I'm guessing we have to ring it," Shinichi said in a whisper. He hadn't lowered his voice consciously. It just felt like the kind of place in which you were supposed to keep your voice down.

"One moment." Darting behind the desk, Kaito gave the piece of furniture a quick once over. Shinichi noticed that the magician had pulled on a pair of gloves from nowhere. Finding nothing, however, Kaito returned to the corner with the bell and made his gloves disappear. "Shall I?"

Shinichi nodded.

The bell made no sound in the lobby, but it must have done so somewhere else. One of the three doors leading out of the lobby opened and a young woman dressed in a plain but elegant dress stepped out. She smiled at them.

"Good evening," she said. "Do you have a reservation?" When they said they did, she produced a small book and asked for their names. Finding what she was looking for, she nodded and tucked the book away before giving them a warm smile.

"Your room is right this way. Just follow me please."

She lead them to a different door from the one she had come in by. It opened onto a corridor with an elevator at the far end. It was towards this elevator that the woman led them.

"Excuse me," Shinichi said. "But could we use the stairs?"

The woman paused with her hand hovering over the elevator call button and gave him a confused look. "We do have stairs, but we're going up to the fourth floor."

"It's just that…" Shinichi trailed off, wondering what he could say that wouldn't sound ridiculous. What he really wanted was to see if they could catch a glimpse of what was on each floor, but he couldn't tell the woman that.

"We would like to take the stairs," Kaito said smoothly, laying a hand on Shinichi's shoulder and giving the woman an apologetic but nevertheless insistent smile. "I'm afraid Shinichi has had some bad experiences with elevators. We try not to take them when we can."

"I see." She looked a little uncertain but turned away from the elevator. "The stairs are this way."

The stairs were covered in the same thick carpet as the rest of the building's floors. The banisters were polished wood with decorative carvings running up and down their lengths. At each landing, a door bearing the number of the floor was set into the wall. Shinichi was disappointed to find that none of them were open. The whole place was eerily quiet.

"Are we the only people here?" Shinichi asked, curious.

Their guide laughed. "Oh, no, but we got our walls professionally sound-proofed. The owner wanted to make sure that all our guests would be comfortable talking without fear of being indiscreet."

"That was thoughtful," Shinichi said, though inside he was frowning. It might be in the name of privacy, but he couldn't help but think how that just meant no one would hear if someone was yelling for help.

"The owner's like that," the woman agreed, smiling. "She thinks of everything."

"Do you know her well?" Kaito asked.

"I'm not sure if I can say I know her well. I've only seen her a handful of times since the interview where she hired me. But I really admire her."

The magician's eyebrow arched. "Pardon me if I'm out of line for saying so, but isn't it a little strange to admire someone you claim not to really know?"

"I don't think so. Everyone does it. It's like admiring a celebrity when you don't really know anything about who they are, except that I know more about Miss Azuhara than most people know about the famous people they admire."

Shinichi made a mental note of the name. That was information that hadn't been on the website or anywhere else they'd looked. They would need it if this place turned out to be shady. "So she designed this whole place herself then?"

"That's right. She went traveling the world after her husband passed away. She told me that the most important thing she learned from that was that deep down everyone in the world wants the same thing—to love and be loved. So she started this place. She told me that she wanted to give everyone the chance to be happy, even if it is only for a little while."

Kaito's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Why only a little while?"

"What?" The girl's steps faltered for an instant. "Um, well…I guess I never thought to ask, but I think it's fairly obvious." Her voice regained its confidence. "No one can say what the future is going to be, right? All we can do is deal with what's going on now and hope for the best."

"That's true," Shinichi agreed, though inside he was frowning. This Azuhara sounded… Not dangerous exactly, but there was a certain kind of conviction that could lead people to explain away all types of actions in the name of doing good. He couldn't make any assumptions on so little proof, but this woman sounded like she could easily fall into that pattern.

"Here's your room."

The room was decorated in much the same fashion as the rest of the building. The table was a low one but the floor beneath it had been lowered so that guests could choose whether to sit in the western or eastern style. An assortment of colorful cushions of varying sizes that matched the mesmerizing tapestries on the walls had been strewn about the floor. Some were obviously meant to be used for sitting on. Others looked decorative. There were bigger ones that could be piled up for leaning against or arranged with the others to make quite the comfortable looking nest. Candles glimmered on the table and atop tall, spiraling candelabras in the corners of the room. It was, Shinichi thought, certainly a unique looking room.

The girl bowed as she gestured for them to take seats, and her manner took a turn into the formal.

Once they were seated, she directed their attention to a red and purple tapestry that lifted away from the wall to reveal the door to a miniature lift. From this, she produced a covered tray which she set on the table before them.

"In the interest of your privacy, no one on staff with disturb you unless you call for us." She pointed at a button next to the lift. "If all is well then simply replace your dishes when you are done and flip this switch here. It will be sent down to the kitchen and the next course will be delivered. The room is yours for the rest of the night, so don't feel the need to rush. Do you have any questions?"

"I have one," Kaito replied. "I noticed all the meals you serve here come in predetermined sets. Are we allowed to change anything?"

"The owner would prefer that you didn't, as she specially put together each set of courses to compliment each other and bring out their best qualities. We did make sure to take into consideration any food preferences you mentioned during your reservation though. However, if something does come up that you absolutely can't abide, you can call for me and I'll see what I can do about replacements."

"Fair enough. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I wish you both a wonderful evening." With a last bow, she exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind herself.

"That was educational," Kaito remarked as he stood up to make a circuit of the room. While the thief searched for bugs, Shinichi uncovered the tray to reveal beautifully arranged dishes of assorted meats and vegetables. Taking out the air-tight container he'd brought just for this, he carefully cut a small piece from every item on his plate and stored it to send to the lab. Next he did the same to Kaito's food. That done, he sealed the container and stowed it out of sight. Next, he brought out a miniature flask. At that point, he hesitated. The coffee just looked and smelled so good…

"Here, put mine," Kaito offered, returning to the table. The amusement was clear in his eyes.

Shinichi blushed. "Are you sure?"

"Go on. It's just coffee to me. I can have some of yours if I get thirsty."

So Kaito's coffee disappeared into the flask, and that too was tucked away for safekeeping.

"The food isn't the only way to drug someone though," Kaito remarked. "Gas, for example."

"But then everyone who came in would get dosed."

"True. But if it's something that works slowly or that builds up over time, they just have to make sure no one stays in the room with us."

So they checked the vent and scoured the room for possible entryways that might be used to pipe gas into the room. They found nothing out of the ordinary, and the vent was connected to the vents in the main halls with no way to seal it off. The food lift similarly could not be completely sealed off. They returned to the table.

Both their eyes landed on the candles.

Without a word, Kaito blew out one of the candles and produced a tiny pair of scissors from nowhere. He snipped a piece of wick off and scraped a sliver of wax from the side of the candle. The two bits of possible evidence were put into an extra small container before he relit the candle with one of its fellows and returned it to its stand.

"Anything else?" he asked when he had finished.

Shinichi gave the room another careful look over then shook his head. "I don't think so."

They fell silent, looking at each other over their mostly untouched plates. Finally, Kaito cracked an amused grin and picked up his utensils.

"Now that the work's done, we can get on with our date."

"Technically, we're only here undercover," Shinichi pointed out, but without much heart. He was kind of hungry.

"On a date. Besides, no point letting this food go to waste. And I _know_ you're dying to try that coffee."

Shinichi couldn't deny that that was true. He struggled with himself for a moment before relenting. It wasn't like there was anything else to do anyway. And they could just stop eating if anything seemed off. He picked up the coffee and took a sip. It tasted just as good as it smelled, and, as far as he could taste, was perfectly normal.

"Whatever else they've got going on here," Kaito remarked, "they definitely serve good food."

Shinichi had to agree. The spices and herbs used in each dish were unique but tantalizing to the taste buds. Deciding that Kaito was right and they could just enjoy the rest of the evening, he set aside thoughts of the case and let himself relax.

The atmosphere with the candlelight and the soft clinking of cutlery reminded him of the first time Kaito had taken him out to dinner. Well, it hadn't exactly been _out_. He supposed a better way to put it would be the first time Kaito had decided to set up their own private, romantic getaway. They had still yet to officially 'meet' in the daylight as themselves at the time, so the magician had transformed the living room of the Kudo Manor into an elegant, candlelit realm like a chamber out of a castle. Shinichi was still trying to figure out how he'd done so stealthily. Kaito couldn't cook to save his life, but he did have good taste in food as long as it wasn't fish-based, and he'd brought a feast worthy of any royalty. Shinichi had thought it was a bit over the top, but that was just one of the things he loved about Kaito. The magician thief never did anything halfway. He wasn't afraid to think big, and he always came through when it counted.

They had eaten and then they'd danced. And though Shinichi would rather die than ever say it out loud, he had felt like a character in a fairytale—being swept away in the arms of her prince. They had danced long into the night. Then Kaito had carried him upstairs and he'd discovered that the living room wasn't the only one the magician had redecorated. Although, truth be told, he hadn't been thinking very much about the décor.

A pink flush crept up onto his face.

Across the table, Kaito raised an eyebrow. While he'd always found Shinichi's blush adorable, he was used to seeing it after he'd actually _done_ something. His detective blushed easily, but not generally for no reason.

"Shin-chan?" he asked with some concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

To his increasing puzzlement, the blush darkened as Shinichi glanced away. "I—I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

_Because you're acting a little weird_, the magician thought, but he opted not to say so out loud. There wasn't much point. It was clear Shinichi didn't want to talk about it. Instead he studied the way his detective was fidgeting. Blue eyes kept flickering to him then away. The smaller man couldn't seem to sit still either. He kept shifting his weight from side to side.

"You seem a bit bothered," the magician said carefully.

"It's nothing, really. I was just—thinking. Did you want to try the coffee? It's quite good."

It was a rather obvious attempt to change the subject, and Kaito debated calling Shinichi out on it. But in the end he decided to let it go. For now.

"No thank you. I believe I saw mention in some of those reviews we read that they always serve water with the desserts so you can clean your palette. That'll do for me."

"We'll need another flask."

"Don't worry. I brought a few extra for just such an occasion."

"I should've known." The detective shook his head, but he was smiling. Kaito had always been good at anticipating possibilities and preparing to deal with them. He never had only a plan B. There was always a C, D, E, F, and maybe all the way down to Z depending on the type of situation. His meticulousness had saved both their lives more than once.

Shinichi's thoughts continued their wandering journey through the sunny haze of memory lane.

Of course, Kaito had also done some horribly embarrassing things to him too. Like that time he'd sent that riddle to the police station. It hadn't been a heist notice, and it had not been signed by KID—thank heavens. But it had been addressed to Shinichi and delivered by such mysterious means as to certainly draw the attention of every officer he worked with. Half the station had spent the day puzzling over it, worried that it might be a cryptic threat. No one but the detective himself had solved it though, for which Shinichi was eternally grateful. If they had, they would have discovered that it was a—very—detailed description of all the things some (unnamed—to them anyway) man wanted to do to their youngest detective in bed. Had they figured it out, they would probably have thought Shinichi had a perverted stalker. Come to think of it, he couldn't really say that they'd be wrong, but that wasn't the point. He never did figure out what had possessed the thief to write the stupid thing. He'd been so mortified he'd locked Kaito out of the house. Not that that had worked…but it was the thought that counted.

But when push came to shove, Kaito was always there for him. He had been there through some of the worst times in the detective's life even before they'd become friends. Shinichi trusted him with his life, and it always made him feel warm inside to know that Kaito trusted him too.

All in all, he felt he was incredibly lucky to have Kaito in his life. He really did love the magician thief. He wished he was better at saying so…

He sighed then blinked. He felt rather warm and a little lightheaded.

Those warm, fuzzy memories dancing through his head were being joined by others—these not so much warm and fuzzy as searing hot. Memories of how it felt when Kaito held him close. The way their bodies fit together, moved together… Memories of the way it felt when Kaito pinned him down and kissed him breathless.

From his seat across the table, Kaito watched the string of expressions moving across Shinichi's face. His detective seemed to be having a rather emotional moment.

First the random, unprovoked blushing. Then there had been coy little smiles and soft, nostalgic eyes. There had been a grimace or two too, as well as a glare at the dishes. That had been followed by yet another smile then a long sigh and a slight slump to the shoulders.

Now Shinichi was making doe eyes at him and blushing again.

Kaito _really_ wanted to know what was going on in Shinichi's head. It looked like quite the party of thoughts in there. And with those expressions it had to be one interesting party.

But he should probably wait until they got home. Then he could take his time prying answers from his detective.

By now they had both finished their desserts and sent the dishes down the lift, leaving only their water and what little remained of the coffee. It never ceased to amaze Kaito just how much coffee Shinichi could drink in a day. The detective ate like a bird most meals but drank coffee almost nonstop. Yet it never stopped him from sleeping late at every opportunity.

"You have cream on your face."

Kaito blinked at the sudden break in the silence then shrugged and picked up his napkin. "Here?"

"No, it's the other side. Here. Let me."

He watched with interest as Shinichi crawled around to his side of the table. Once there, he took the napkin from Kaito and reached up to wipe away the offending bit of cream. Kaito observed the action like a scientist watching an experiment play out.

"Shinichi?" he prompted when the detective drew away to fold the napkin before replacing it on the table (because Shinichi liked to keep things neat even when he was being a bit off).

"I'm glad you came with me," the detective said softly, smiling shyly at him.

Kaito cocked a mental eyebrow. "Well, I couldn't well let you come with someone else."

"Because I'm yours, right?"

The thief's lips twitched into a smirk (he liked hearing Shinichi say that). "Exactly."

Shinichi giggled—actually _giggled_—and scooted closer to lean against him. And now Kaito knew something was definitely wrong. His detective could be quite cuddly at home, but he still believed very strongly that such things were inappropriate for public places. Sure, this was a private dining room where the wait staff wasn't supposed to come in unless called for, but a normal Shinichi would still consider it an embarrassingly public place for affection.

Even so, Kaito had to admit to finding his detective's current…state rather endearing. Especially the adoring way those big blue eyes were looking up at him. His detective wasn't normally so open with his feelings.

Maybe he was drunk? But no, Kaito was sure there hadn't been any alcohol in any of their food or drinks. One of them would have noticed.

Shinichi's eyes were slightly glazed though, and his face flushed pink very much like he was drunk. His lips were slightly parted too, looking just as soft and sweet as Kaito knew they were. And damn but his detective looked tempting right now—like he was just waiting to be ravished.

Well, Kaito thought, gaze flickering back to the table. It wasn't alcohol, but it was definitely psychedelic. And he would bet he knew where the problem was. The coffee was the only thing Shinichi had had that he hadn't shared (though why it wasn't acting up until now he had no idea. It had been over an hour and a half since Shinichi had first taken a sip. A very, very slow acting drug perhaps?). Come to think of it, they should have expected it. The name of the restaurant screamed it at the world after all. But maybe that was why they hadn't been thinking about it. They'd put it on the door for everyone to see, knowing that no one would look twice. It was a brazen move on their part, he mused, but there was a certain style to it too.

"I love you."

Indigo eyes widened, staring down at the detective attached like a limpet to his side. He hadn't expected _that_. It wasn't that Shinichi had never said it before. He had. It was just that he didn't say it very often. Kaito didn't really mind. He knew the detective was a bit shy about talking about such things. The important thing was that he knew Shinichi loved him—could see it in the detective's eyes and in his smile. It was written in the little things if you knew where to look, and Kaito was a master at reading people (especially when it came to his detective).

Even so, it was kind of nice to hear it now and then. It was warm and soothing even as it was invigorating.

And it seemed Shinichi had decided that the floor wasn't half as comfortable as Kaito's lap.

The thief cleared his throat. "I love you too, Shin-chan, but is this really what you want to do right now?"

His question went unanswered. That or Shinichi was too caught up in whatever was ailing him to listen. By now, the detective was straddling his lap. His hands traced feather light patterns over Kaito's chest and shoulders, teasing buttons apart. The magician's own hands slid up under the detective's shirt of their own accord, lightly tracing patterns on his lower back. Shinichi let out a contented sigh. Sliding his arms over Kaito's shoulders, he pressed himself closer to his companion's warmth.

"I want you inside me," he murmured, turning his face against Kaito's neck, lips soft and moist and breaths coming in quick pants.

Kaito found himself faced with a dilemma. He should be trying to snap Shinichi out of it so they could do something about this establishment that was most definitely drugging people. That was what he should be doing. But… Well, with Shinichi being so enticingly eager…

"_Kaito_…"

The sound of his name being uttered in that breathy little moan of a plea was the final straw. They were already here and had found all that they needed to find, he thought decisively. Actually reporting their findings to the police was Shinichi's job anyway, not his. With said detective in no condition to do that, there really was no hurry. They might as well take advantage of the situation and have a little fun. They were, after all, still technically on a date.

He wasn't making excuses. He was just being practical.

Besides, Shinichi was practically begging Kaito to have his way with him. Who was Kaito to refuse?

The thief let out a half laugh half groan. Shinichi's hands had found their way down and unzipped his pants, sneaking in to stroke his arousal. "Just remember, I did ask if you were sure."

Hooking an arm under Shinichi's knee, he tipped the detective onto the cushion-strewn floor. Shinichi blinked up at him, disoriented by the sudden change in elevation. Kaito took the opportunity to divest them both of the necessary articles of clothing and retrieve the bottle of hand lotion he remembered stashing in his jacket.

Quickly covering his fingers in the oily liquid, he inserted two digits into the detective's entrance. Shinichi clenched and stuttered around his fingers. Kaito responded by pushing in deeper.

Shinichi squirmed and moaned as the fingers went to work. Part of him just wanted Kaito to hurry up and take him. The other half was enjoying the way the magician's dexterous and very talented fingers were stroking the sensitive spots inside his body. The fire burning inside him was blazing hotter by the moment.

Reaching up, he yanked Kaito down into a sloppy kiss. Tongues twined and danced.

Kaito growled, moving to bite the detective's pale neck. Shinichi was riding his fingers like an animal in heat—and damn but he wanted to feel that tight heat around his own aching arousal.

Pulling his fingers out of the detective, he sat back and lifted Shinichi back onto his lap. His partner complied eagerly, shifting himself into position above Kaito's erect cock.

Shinichi moaned as he felt that familiar sting and stretch that accompanied the sensation of Kaito entering him. With Kaito's hands guiding him and gravity tugging him down, he lowered himself, taking the magician's hard length fully into himself. Now settled on his lover's lap, he draped his arms loosely around Kaito's neck and brushed a kiss along the side of the magician's jaw.

"Kai," he groaned, head lolling onto Kaito's shoulder, "yes, right there…"

Kaito found himself actually teetering on the verge of a blush as Shinichi continued to mumble into his ear, telling him how he felt right now and the things he wanted Kaito to do to him. His little detective was always quite vocal during intercourse, but not usually in a wordy way. While Kaito had always loved the many noises Shinichi made when caught in the throes of passion, he was finding this version of expression damn arousing too. It was making it difficult for him to control himself. But he hung on to his patience with his teeth to give his detective time to adjust. He didn't have to wait long though.

Shinichi shifted, bracing himself on Kaito's shoulders so that he could lift himself up until only the tip of the magician's length still penetrated him then lower himself again. A quiet moan escaped his lips at the friction. The magician's hands tightened their grip on his hips. Soon they had settled into a rhythm. Up and down—in and out, in and out—

Shinichi let out a moan or cry of pleasure for every pull and push. A particularly forceful thrust had him tossing his head back, Kaito's name tumbling from his lips. Completely enthralled by the detective sprawled across his lap, Kaito latched onto the junction between Shinichi's neck and shoulder. He bit and sucked at the tender skin and leaving livid, red marks in his wake. Then his teeth found Shinichi's nipples and the detective's back arched, fingers curling roughly into the magician's spiky hair.

A feral grin stretched uncontrollably across Kaito's lips.

Deciding a different position was in order, he pulled out of Shinichi and lifted the detective off his lap. He couldn't suppress a chuckle when the smaller man actually let out a frustrated growl, sounding like a thwarted kitten.

"Don't worry," he assured his detective. "I'm not going anywhere." In fact, at the moment, he would happily throttle anyone who tried to get between him and his adorable (delectable) love.

Flipping Shinichi over, he maneuvered the detective so that he was half kneeling before and half lying across the low table with his knees spread wide. Kaito knelt behind him, nudging Shinichi's knees farther apart as his hands gripped the detective's hips once more. Leaning forward, he trailed kisses across Shinichi's back as he lined himself up. Then in one swift motion he thrust back inside his detective's twitching hole. Shinichi screamed, his hands scrabbling at the table. The edge of the wooden piece of furniture pressed against his stomach as he writhed.

Again and again, his lover's hot, pulsating cock thrust deep inside him. He could only cry out at the overwhelming pleasure. This was exactly what he wanted—

The rough, hard rhythm dragged them both closer and closer to the edge.

With a final cry, Shinichi's back arched and his muscles clenched as he came. Kaito managed one last thrust before following suit, spilling his seed inside his quivering lover.

They collapsed together and lay panting as they caught their breaths, still tangled together. Eventually, however, Kaito gathered up his wits and gently pulled out of his detective. Shinichi mumbled something incoherent and slid off the table to curl up on the cushions. Kaito debated with himself for a moment then joined him. He did, however, make sure to set his mental alarm. A short nap was all well and good, but he for one wanted to get the both of them out of here and back home before midnight. The establishment might encourage people to stay overnight, but the thief part of him balked at taking them up on the offer. Better to go home and see how Shinichi wanted to deal with the things they'd found after his head was clear.

**-TBC-**


	3. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

* * *

**The Love Potion Mystery**

**Chapter 3 - The Aftermath**

Shinichi stared at the report he'd been trying to write for the past two hours. Normally, he was pretty good at writing reports. He was one of those people who actually believed it was important to have clear records of cases. It made it easier in the future if anything ever came up that might require information from previous cases. Therefore he always made sure to include everything with as much accuracy as he could manage. This time, however, he was stuck.

A lot of things had happened, but quite a large portion of it was…private.

In retrospect, it was a very good thing he'd gone with Kaito instead of a fellow officer. He flushed just thinking about it. Yeah, that would have been a disaster. Not that he thought any of his colleagues would have taken advantage of him, but considering how strong that stuff had been, it wouldn't have made a difference if the parties involved hated each other's guts if they both drank it. And then Kaito would have maimed someone.

But that was beside the point. The point was that a lot had happened that he really did not want to have documented in an official report. It wasn't like those parts were really all that relevant to the case, he reasoned. Of course, it was how he could give such a detailed description of the effects of the chemicals the place had been using, but did it really matter how he knew? No.

But someone would ask. Someone always asked. That was the thing about detectives. Police affiliated or private, all detectives were nosy. It was their job.

It didn't help that the chemicals the lab had found were hitherto unknown compounds. It hadn't just been in the coffee as Kaito had theorized either. It was just that everything else had built up from the coffee. The spices in the food had tasted so unique because they really were—extracted from plants Shinichi had never even heard of and all elements of one powerful aphrodisiac that also loosened the tongue and stimulated the recall of pleasant memories.

He had to hand it to the Azuhara woman. She had gotten the distribution and proportioning of her drugs down to an art form. If only she had bent her talents to better and more worthy goals.

Shinichi groaned and let his head drop to the table. Honestly, what had possessed them to try the wares? It wasn't like they hadn't already known something was fishy. Looking back, it had been incredibly thoughtless of them to eat the stuff anyway. Of course it would have looked weird if they hadn't, and since they were a couple he couldn't technically say that any real harm had been done (which of course had been the point of going together in the first place). Complete and utter embarrassment at his own behavior aside anyway (he could remember every second). He really had walked right into it. The fact that he'd kind of enjoyed some of it didn't make it any less mortifying.

And there he went getting sidetracked again.

Groaning, he dropped his head onto the table again with a vague idea that he might knock himself out and so put off dealing with it. He was getting nowhere with this wasn't he?

"Problem?" a familiar voice inquired.

Peeling his face off the desk, Shinichi found that Kaito had sat himself down in one of the library's plush armchairs with a cup of something steaming in hand. "It's just the report."

"Ah, I see." A knowing smirk appeared on the thief's face, eliciting a blush and a cough from the detective. "I heard that the police have already made several arrests in relation to the case."

Shinichi nodded, setting his pen aside (secretly grateful for a reason to put the report off a little longer). "Azuhara Une was definitely the mastermind of the whole thing, but it seems several of the staff knew what was going on too. Both chefs and three of the waiting staff as well as the man in charge of the housekeeping—who also kept the books. Then there were the people supplying the plants, though I think that group honestly thought she just liked the flowers. Anyway, the police are still interviewing people. It'll probably be some time before the case actually goes to court. Everyone wants to be sure that we're as thorough as we can be for something of this nature."

"As they should be."

"It's all kind of tragic though, isn't it?"

Kaito cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Azuhara-san developed her business because she wanted to give people a single night of real happiness—or her idea of real happiness anyway. She meant well, she just went about it all wrong and ended up making a farce out of it. A shallow imitation of the kind of happiness she preached."

The thief shrugged. "That's only to be expected. You can't give people that kind of happiness. It's something they have to find for themselves."

"And she had to know that," the detective pointed out. "So then why do any of it at all?"

Kaito shrugged. "Self delusion? The desire to live vicariously through the romances of her customers after losing her own? She did help a number of people get their relationships back on track after all. There are quite a few problems that can be solved with an honest heart to heart and a dash of nostalgia."

"I guess so." Shinichi fell silent, fingers tapping a pensive rhythm on top of his half written report.

Kaito coughed lightly to recapture his attention. "Speaking of heart to hearts, I've been meaning to speak to you about something."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when you called to make the reservation?"

Shinichi grimaced. "I don't think I'm ever going to be able to forget it." Or any other part of this debacle at that.

"You told them that you were upset because I flirted with people."

"Well, you do. I can't make up lies the way you do, and, if you'll recall, you weren't much help."

"I know. That's one of the things I like about you. I was just wondering… Does it…really bother you?"

Shinichi blinked then looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "I… It's not really a big deal."

"Shinichi."

The detective sighed. "Okay, fine. It does bother me. You can't really expect it not to."

"You know it doesn't mean anything."

"I know," Shinichi mumbled, still not looking at the magician. He could feel Kaito's gaze like a physical pressure. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Suddenly the idea of finishing the report didn't seem quite so daunting. "As I said, it's not a big deal."

He hadn't heard Kaito move, so he nearly jumped out of his skin when a pair of arms scooped him up out of his seat. An instant later he found himself sitting on Kaito's lap with the magician's arms wrapped securely around him and a pair of indigo eyes boring into his. He swallowed.

"I'm sorry that some of my habits have upset you. I really didn't mean to. I'm afraid I can't promise not to do it anymore. Old habits don't die and all that. But I can assure you that, no matter what I say or do, you will always be the only one I love."

Shinichi blinked then laughed softly. "You can say the corniest things sometimes."

Kaito grinned back. "Hey, whatever works. Right? But really, I mean every word."

"I know." Smiling softly, Shinichi leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on the magician's lips. "Now I really have to get back to my report. But you can stay if you like as long as you promise to behave."

Kaito waggled his eyebrows, all signs of seriousness gone. "Do I get anything if I do?"

"…"

**-End-**


End file.
